Short Summary

EMOTIONAL SCENES GREETED THE ARRIVAL AT LOD AIRPORT, IN TEL AVIV, TODAY (SUNDAY) OF TWELVE ISRAELI AIRLINE PASSENGERS RETURNING HOME AFTER BEING DETAINED IN ALGIERS FOR 39 DAYS.

Description

EMOTIONAL SCENES GREETED THE ARRIVAL AT LOD AIRPORT, IN TEL AVIV, TODAY (SUNDAY) OF TWELVE ISRAELI AIRLINE PASSENGERS RETURNING HOME AFTER BEING DETAINED IN ALGIERS FOR 39 DAYS. THE TWELVE, WHO WERE RELEASED BY THE ALGERIAN AUTHORITIES YESTERDAY, ARE THE CAPTAIN AND CREW, AND FIVE PASSENGERS, OF AN AIRLINER HI-JACKED WHILE ON A FLIGHT FROM ROME TO TEL AVIV ON JULY 22.

THEIR AIRLINER, A BOEING 707, WAS RELEASED BY THE ALGERIANS TWELVE HOURS LATER AND TODAY FLEW INTO ROME.

THE TWELVE ISRAELIS WERE GREETED WITH HUGS AND KISSES FROM THEIR FAMILIES. THEY HAD FLOWN FROM ROME, WHERE THEY ARRIVED EARLIER IN AN ITALIAN AIRLINER.

THEIR RELEASE ENDED LONG NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND ALGERIA, WITH UNITED NATIONS SPOKESMEN AS INTERMEDIARIES.

TWENTY-THREE NON-ISRAELI PASSENGERS HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO LEAVE ALGIERS A FEW HOURS AFTER THE HI-JACKED BOEING LANDED THERE. TEN ISRAELI WOMEN AND CHILDREN, INCLUDING THREE AIR HOSTESSES, WERE SET FREE FOUR DAYS LATER.

THE BOEING OWNED BY EL AL AIRLINE, ARRIVED IN ROME TODAY, AND WAS EXPECTED TO LEAVE LATER FOR TEL AVIV WITH AN ISRAELI CREW ABOARD.

IT WAS HANDED OVER TO AN ISRAELI REPRESENTATIVE, MR. M. YOSHA, BY MR. UBERTO BOZZINI, ON BEHALF OF THE ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER.

NEWS OF THE RELEASE CAUSED JUBILATION IN ISRAEL, WHERE THE FOREIGN MINISTER, MR. ABBA EBAN, SAID THE COUNTRY WOULD FULFIL ITS PROMISE TO ITALY "WITH REGARD TO A HUMANITARIAN GESTURE". THIS IS THOUGHT TO MEAN THE FREEING OF SOME PALESTINIAN ARABS SERVING SENTENCES FOR BEING MEMBERS OF GUERRILLA ORGANISATIONS.